Floral Beauty
Only in flower borders can there be such superb effects in colorful decoration as Nature provides in her lavish blooms. From the time when the earliest snowdrop bravely ventures forth to announce the coming of spring and the grand show to follow, until the curtain of winter falls upon the last act in which the Chrysanthemums are the star performers, there is an almost continuous spectacle of beauty in the well planned outdoor living room floral border.
Although trees and shrubs can be depended upon to produce marvelous color displays with their blooms and fruits, no outdoor living room can be considered complete without its complement of the flowers recruited from the classes designated as annuals, perennials, bulbs and others. These are grown in pots, beds and borders and constitute, to a large extent, the decorative element in the outdoor living room.
There are so many different flowers from which to choose. There are many floral varieties and colors that there is no end to the color schemes and effects that may be created. And unlike the decoration of an interior room, which is costly and must remain unchanged for a long time, the outdoor living room may have a new color scheme every few days, with one color dominating at one time and another color at some other time. Even the hours of the day bring change and variety to the outdoor flower walls, often causing one to wonder at just which hour they are the most beautiful.
Planning the flower border is largely a matter of personal taste, much like planning a color scheme for the indoor decor. And, to carry the comparison further, there are different materials used to attain different effects and textures in the flower wall, just as there is in finishing the interior wall. These different materials, as well as their placing and use, will be touched upon briefly here.
Where To Plant Flowers
In the outdoor living room, flowers have a definite part in creating an attractive room and pleasing picture. If our hobby is growing flowers, to make collections and have beautiful specimens, we should choose a flower garden for our hobby. While it is possible to grow marvelous flower specimens in the outdoor living room, the aim should rather be to achieve an outdoor room with the added richness and beauty that well-chosen and well-placed flowers give.
For this reason, flower planting is confined largely to the borders in the well-arranged outdoor living room. They become part of the walls and background. To introduce a great many flowerbeds, in most cases, means to subordinate many social and other activities for which the outdoor room is planned.
It is surprising, nevertheless, how many flowers can be grown in the border plantings and still retain enough open space in the center of our outdoor room to achieve the charming character that distinguishes the outdoor living room from an plain flower garden.
The space available will determine the amount allowable for flower planting. The width of this space will govern to some extent the choice of flowers.
In planning flower borders for the outdoor living room, only choose flowers suitable to the location. In some places the borders should be low, perhaps nothing more than an edging made of a single row of plants. In other places there may be an opportunity for tall spire-like plants. In any case, the flowers selected should be the type that "fit.” They should look good against the background and appear to be part of it.
Classes of Flowers to Use
Broadly speaking, three main classes of flowers are most desirable to use. There are annuals, which complete their life cycle in one year and which have to be started anew from seed each year. There are the perennials, which live year after year if conditions are right; although a few in this class are technically known as biennials, many of these renew themselves from seed. And there are the bulbs, of which the spring-flowering types such as Tulips and Narcissus.
Many perennials have bulbous roots, such as the Lilies and bulbous Irises, and they live indefinitely in permanent locations. Gladioli and Dahlias are not true bulbs.
For any scheme of flower decoration to be most pleasing in the outdoor living room the entire season through, it should include selections from all three groups rather than entirely from one.
The most gorgeous spring-flowering effects come from a combination of spring-flowering bulbs and perennials. Space devoted to spring bulbs may later be devoted to annuals, thus prolonging the bloom by making part of the flower border space serve twice in the flower program.
Annuals are really indispensable in an outdoor living room flower border. They may always be depended upon to give a splendid showing the year they are sown. The more flowers you pluck, the more they bloom and if you do not let them go to seed, the flowering will continue the season through. This is one of the secrets of their charm.
Perennials are favored by many for their permanence as well as for their floral beauty. They have their seasons, however, and unless the borders are carefully planned, there may be sections of it that appear rather bare at times without a single bloom.